Chapter Summaries

Hiko met Orochimaru at Ichiraku Ramen Shop, where Orochimaru asked for his help with a matter Danzo could not handle. Orochimaru revealed that a cell transplant was being prepared and that their research might eventually produce people capable of using Wood Style.

• Hiko agreed to meet Orochimaru at Ichiraku Ramen Shop and waited while eating ramen.
• Orochimaru arrived, and Hiko had Teuchi leave while the Anbu secured the area.
• Hiko asked what Orochimaru wanted and warned that any favor would come at a price.
• Orochimaru revealed that someone was preparing for a cell transplant and that the cell research might create future Wood Style users.
• Orochimaru openly disclosed Danzo's involvement in the research and transplant preparations.

Hiko learned that Danzo had begun experimenting with Hashirama’s cells and discussed how he and Orochimaru could use evidence against him. Orochimaru asked Hiko to obtain the Forbidden Jutsu Impure World Reincarnation, and they agreed to handle the Third Hokage and Danzo separately before pursuing it.

• Hiko realized that the pressure he had put on Danzo might have pushed him to start transplanting cells earlier than expected.
• Hiko and Orochimaru discussed the evidence Orochimaru had gathered against Danzo and how they could use it to bring him down.
• Orochimaru asked Hiko to help him obtain Tobirama Senju’s Forbidden Jutsu, Impure World Reincarnation.
• Hiko agreed to see what he could do and warned Orochimaru not to draw attention in the village.
• Hiko decided to deal with the Third Hokage while Orochimaru handled Danzo and eased their suspicions.

Hiko visited the Third Hokage after meeting Orochimaru and asked permission to use a Forbidden Jutsu. The Third Hokage heard his request after Hiko disrupted a mission briefing and waited for the reason behind it.

• Hiko and Orochimaru agreed to deal separately with Danzo and the Third Hokage, then left the Ichiraku Ramen Shop.
• Hiko entered the Hokage's Office without knocking, sprawled on the sofa, and asked Kairōjiya to pour him tea.
• Hiko teased Kairōjiya by praising him as a good young man, making Kairōjiya's three disciples laugh.
• The Third Hokage finished assigning missions and asked Hiko why he had come.
• Hiko told the Third Hokage that he wanted to use a Forbidden Jutsu and asked for approval.

Hiko asked the Third Hokage for access to a Forbidden Jutsu on Orochimaru’s behalf, despite the Third Hokage’s suspicions about Orochimaru and Danzo. The Third Hokage allowed Hiko to study the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu under strict conditions, leaving Hiko wary that the Hokage knew more about Orochimaru’s activities than he let on.

• Hiko told the Third Hokage that Orochimaru wanted a Forbidden Jutsu and said he would obtain it even if the Hokage refused.
• The Third Hokage worried that Orochimaru might use the jutsu for something dangerous because he had grown closer to Danzo.
• Hiko said he trusted Orochimaru but would personally deal with him if he crossed the line.
• The Third Hokage agreed to let Hiko access the Forbidden Jutsu, on the condition that he did not take the original scroll.
• Hiko revealed that the jutsu was the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu and promised to return the scroll after Orochimaru studied it.

Hiko’s decision to stay out of the Hokage succession contest left Konoha’s would-be candidates struggling to attract attention, while Orochimaru prepared to perform surgery on Danzo using Senju Hashirama’s cells. The Third Hokage watched the confused village and recognized that Hiko’s absence was shaping the contest.

• Hiko welcomed the prospect of not having to work behind the scenes, while Orochimaru told Danzo they were partners who used one another and said the surgery was ready.
• Orochimaru and Danzo agreed to begin the surgery in three days.
• The Third Hokage’s announcement that he intended to step down failed to spark a serious contest because Hiko, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru showed little interest in campaigning.
• Konoha’s villagers and people from other villages wondered why the leading Hokage prospects were not competing, while a few lesser candidates made a show of themselves.
• The Third Hokage realized that Hiko’s lack of interest had left the field open to candidates who could not match his strength, status, or position.

Hiko stayed out of the Hokage succession maneuvering while the Third Hokage assigned him a new task involving Hatake Kakashi. Hiko told Mikoto that the six-year-old genius had applied for the Chunin Exam, leaving her astonished.

• The Third Hokage accepted that Hiko would not compete for the Hokage position and decided to wait and see how events unfolded.
• Mikoto brought Hiko a document personally assigned to him by the Third Hokage, delaying their plans to go out together.
• Hiko read the document and told Mikoto that Hatake Kakashi had caused trouble again.
• Hiko revealed that Kakashi, only six years old, had applied for the Chunin Exam.
• Mikoto reacted with shock and admiration at Kakashi's strength and early achievement.

Hiko approved Hatake Kakashi’s application for the Chunin Exam and delegated the arrangements to Shikaku Nara. After work, Hiko and Mikoto Uchiha prepared to leave together, but Hiko remembered he still needed to speak with Shikaku first.

• Hiko praised Hatake Kakashi’s talent and decided to approve his Chunin Exam application without delay.
• Hiko stamped the document and sent it to Mikoto Uchiha to deliver to Shikaku Nara.
• Shikaku Nara accepted responsibility for handling Kakashi’s arrangements, though he found the task troublesome.
• Mikoto Uchiha playfully jumped onto Hiko’s back after work, and Hiko promised to take her for a ride after speaking with Shikaku.

Mikoto Uchiha invited Kushina to join her for a ride with Hiko, while Hiko pressed Shikaku Nara to supply venison to his restaurant and warned him not to oppose him. The chapter ended with Kushina eager to go but worried Hiko would object to her coming along.

• Mikoto Uchiha asked Hiko if she could bring someone along, and he reluctantly agreed.
• Mikoto Uchiha went to find Kushina, hoping to take her on a ride so she would not feel left out.
• Hiko visited Shikaku Nara and asked the Nara Clan to supply venison to his restaurant starting in half a month.
• Hiko warned Shikaku Nara to stay loyal to him as an Anbu and hinted that the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi clans should partner with the Uchiha Clan.
• After Hiko left, Shikaku Nara recovered from the pressure, while Kushina eagerly agreed to the ride but worried the Clan Head might be unhappy about her joining.

Kushina and Mikoto Uchiha walked to Konoha’s Back Mountain and discussed what made a suitable partner, with Mikoto defending her devotion to Hiko. Mikoto then pointed out that Kushina compared her suitors to Hiko and asked whether Kushina had fallen for him.

• Mikoto Uchiha told Kushina that Hiko had agreed to let them go, and Kushina happily left with her.
• Kyuku Uzumaki reminded the girls to return early and handle dinner themselves before they headed toward Konoha’s Back Mountain.
• Mikoto Uchiha explained that strength, looks, status, and position made Hiko an ideal partner, while Kushina admitted she would not choose someone she had to protect.
• Mikoto Uchiha asked Kushina whether she compared her pursuers to Hiko, and Kushina admitted that none of them could compare.
• Mikoto Uchiha teased Kushina and asked if she had fallen for Hiko.

Mikoto teased Kushina about her feelings for Hiko as the two headed to the back mountain to meet him. Hiko, Mikoto, and Kushina set off riding the Nine-Tails, which began walking out of Konoha.

• Kushina declared that she was angry with Mikoto, then followed her toward the back mountain while wrestling with her thoughts about Hiko.
• Mikoto teased Kushina and led her through the forest to meet Hiko and the waiting Nine-Tails.
• Hiko invited Mikoto and Kushina onto the Nine-Tails, and Kushina climbed aboard despite the beast's dislike of anyone but Hiko touching it.
• Hiko ordered the Nine-Tails to set off, and it began walking toward Konoha's outskirts.

Hiko rode the Nine-Tails away from Konoha with Kushina and Mikoto Uchiha, teasing Kushina after she acted shy around him. He asked about Kushina’s missions and reassured her that having weaker teammates could make her squad safer.

• Hiko noticed Kushina avoiding his gaze, and Mikoto Uchiha nearly revealed why before Kushina stopped her.
• Hiko called Kushina to sit beside him and pulled her cheeks until she promised not to act coy again.
• Mikoto Uchiha watched Kushina’s embarrassment with amusement as Hiko settled down on the Nine-Tails.
• Hiko asked Kushina how her missions were going, and she complained that her two teammates were a burden.
• Hiko explained that not every squad could be strong and that a weaker team could also be safer.

Hiko lectured Kushina about her temper and explained why the Third Hokage had assigned her to teammates who could endure her behavior. He left her considering how unfairly she had treated the boys who tolerated her outbursts.

• Kushina complained that her weak teammates held her back, and Hiko stopped the Nine-Tails so he could question her about her team assignment.
• Hiko asked Kushina why the Third Hokage had placed her with those teammates, then struck her forehead when she could not answer.
• Hiko explained that his support for Kushina using her fists was meant to protect her, not encourage her to become a school tyrant.
• Mikoto Uchiha laughed at Hiko's teasing, and Hiko slapped her to quiet her before continuing the lecture.
• Hiko pointed out that Kushina's teammates endured her temper with smiles and asked her to consider their feelings and pride.

Hiko confronted Kushina about how she treated her teammates, helping her realize they had endured her behavior to keep the team together. After ending the lesson, he suggested they enjoy their outing and offered to cook lunch for everyone.

• Hiko told Kushina that her teammates changed their behavior around her and deserved her trust and respect.
• Kushina realized she had misunderstood her teammates and thought about how Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru would react to being treated the same way.
• Mikoto Uchiha pointed out that Kushina would be the one looked down on if she were teamed with Tsunade and Orochimaru.
• Hiko ended the discussion and reminded Kushina that they had come out to have fun.
• Hiko offered to cook lunch for everyone, and Kushina reacted with excitement.

Hiko spent the day with Kushina and Mikoto, then took the lonely Hatake Kakashi to dinner and reflected on the approaching danger to Hatake Sakumo. He realized Sakumo had been away from Konoha for several days and that the crisis surrounding him might already be underway.

• Hiko shared roasted mountain goat and a drive with Kushina and Mikoto, helping Kushina reconsider some of her habits while Mikoto regretted losing time alone with him.
• Hiko spotted Hatake Kakashi walking alone, teased him, and took him to a restaurant, where Kakashi remained gloomy and silent.
• Hiko thought about Kakashi waiting for his future teammates, Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin, to graduate in a little over a year.
• Hiko considered how to prevent Hatake Sakumo from facing the mission that would ruin his reputation and drive him to suicide.
• Hiko remembered that Hatake Sakumo had been away from Konoha for several days and realized the incident might be near.

Uchiha Hiko grew uneasy about Hatake Sakumo’s mission and sent Shikaku Nara to investigate, but the mission later failed after Sakumo chose to save his teammates and the news spread through Konoha. The Third Hokage reacted with shock as Hiko’s anger threatened to erupt.

• Hiko summoned Shikaku Nara in the middle of the night and ordered him to find out what mission Hatake Sakumo was on.
• Shikaku found a file showing Sakumo’s squad had been sent to steal intelligence from an Iwagakure underground base, though the information was only thirty percent reliable.
• Shikaku reported that Hatake Kakashi had passed his assessment and Hiko assigned him to supervise the matter the next day.
• Several days later, an Anbu member told Hiko and the Third Hokage that Sakumo’s squad had been ambushed, the intelligence was inaccurate, and the mission had failed.
• The Anbu member revealed that Sakumo had abandoned the mission to save his teammates and that the news had spread through Konoha, prompting the Third Hokage to leap up and Hiko to erupt in anger.

Uchiha Hiko ordered arrests after learning that news of Hatake Sakumo’s failed mission had spread from the Medical Department. The Police Force filled its cells with villagers, while the entire Medical Department, including Tsunade, was taken to the Anbu, where Tsunade demanded an explanation from Hiko.

• Hiko learned the news had come from the Medical Department and ordered the Police Force to arrest people spreading it and the Anbu to detain everyone in the department.
• The Third Hokage approved Hiko’s orders, and the Anbu member relayed them for execution.
• The Police Force arrested villagers who had actively condemned Hatake Sakumo, filling its holding cells with angry and frightened detainees.
• An Uchiha guard told the prisoners that the entire Medical Department, including Tsunade, had been arrested and taken to the Anbu.
• Tsunade confronted Hiko in his office and demanded an explanation for arresting the whole Medical Department while patients needed care.

Uchiha Hiko cracked down on people spreading rumors about Hatake Sakumo, detaining villagers and Medical Department staff while ordering an investigation into the Intelligence Department. As Konoha's leaders protested to the Third Hokage, he argued that the uproar revealed deeper issues than Sakumo's decision to abandon a mission.

• Tsunade urged Hiko to release patients and injured people from the Medical Department, but he refused and threatened to punish those who had leaked the news.
• Hiko ordered Anbu to detain the Medical Department staff who spread the rumors, investigate them, and summon the Intelligence Department's managers.
• Konoha's higher-ups and Elder Council representatives gathered at the Hokage's Office to protest Hiko's arrests and demand the Third Hokage intervene.
• The Third Hokage acknowledged that Hiko had made a major fuss but told the leaders to consider the deeper issues behind the controversy over Hatake Sakumo.
• One representative insisted that Hatake Sakumo had caused the entire crisis, while the Third Hokage sighed and shook his head.

The Third Hokage rebuked Danzo and promised to punish Hatake Sakumo if Uchiha Hiko failed to do so. Hiko kept the identified suspects in custody and told Tsunade he would not handle the incident gently.

• The Third Hokage argued that Anbu leaks had to be handled by Uchiha Hiko and promised to punish both Hiko and Hatake Sakumo if Hiko shielded him.
• Danzo challenged the Third Hokage, who rebuked him and told him to stay away because his status was sensitive; Danzo crushed his cane in anger.
• After hearing what had happened in the Hokage's Office, Hiko kept Hatake Sakumo, his two teammates, and the other identified suspects in custody, while releasing the uninvolved Medical Department staff.
• Tsunade asked Hiko how he would deal with the suspects and reminded him that they were Medical Department talents.
• Hiko told Tsunade he was furious because the incident threatened his trusted allies, and said the suspects would face living punishment even if he spared their lives.

Hiko feared that the villagers’ accusations and the silence of the village’s leaders would drive Hatake Sakumo to suicide, so he ordered an investigation and punishment for those involved. He confronted Sakumo in his cell, struck him, and began explaining where he had gone wrong.

• Hiko told Tsunade he feared Sakumo could not endure the villagers’ accusations, his teammates’ abuse, his clan’s reproaches, and the higher-ups’ inaction.
• Hiko promised to punish everyone involved and told Tsunade that he would protect her, Sakumo, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya.
• Hiko ordered the Anbu to interrogate the medical staff and Medical Ninjas involved without letting them sleep, and instructed them to treat arrested Police Force members similarly.
• Hiko visited Sakumo in the Anbu prison and asked whether he knew where he had gone wrong.
• Sakumo said he did not regret his actions, so Hiko slapped him, then explained that the blow was for those worried about him, especially his family and companions.

Hiko confronted Hatake Sakumo about his despair over abandoning a mission to save his companions, insisting he endure the public backlash and punishment rather than give up. After ordering most of the Medical Department staff imprisoned for mishandling confidential information, Hiko confronted Dan Katō in the Anbu interrogation room.

• Hiko told Hatake Sakumo not to regret saving his companions, but condemned him for letting public slander overwhelm him and invoked Hatake Kakashi to make him recover his resolve.
• Hatake Sakumo begged Hiko not to bring Hatake Kakashi to see him, and Hiko left, warning that he would arrange a severe punishment.
• Hiko ordered the Medical Department staff responsible for the leak imprisoned for two years of labor reform, sparing the team leader, and sent his ruling to the Hokage's Office.
• Hiko entered the Anbu interrogation room and discovered that the man he had kept behind was Dan Katō, whom he had previously encountered pestering his woman with flowers.